A biased look at psychology in the world

January 11, 2011

Commission on Child Witchcraft Begins in Nigeria

When UNICEF released its 2010 report, Children Accused of Witchcraft in Africa, it highlighted a worrying rise of cases of children being accused and punished for witchcraft in many African countries. According to the report, the jump in child witchcraft accusations can be linked to pressures in religion, poverty, unemployment, HIV/AIDS and more. Accused children are often "unwanted" orphans being raised by distant family members although there have been cases of even immediate family members accusing a child of witchcraft. Once accused, a child can face a lifetime of psychological and physical abuse, first by family members and their own friends, and later by church pastors or traditional healers. Reasons for the accusations can include suffering from medical problem, such as autism, ADHD, or behaviour problems. Children often become scapegoats for any negative events that occur in their communities (including any "bad luck" event). Cases of children being killed by pastors to force them to confess to witchcraft have also occurred.

Despite the widespread belief in witchcraft across much of Africa and cases in which adults accused of witchcraft are often killed, accusations against children and adolescents is relatively recent. The prosecution of child witches remains legal in many countries and accused children are often left to fend for themselves on the streets, exiled from their communities. As part of their effort to fight the rising epidemic in Nigeria, the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) centre was established in 2003 in the Nigerian villge of Esi-Eket. Beginning with three children, the centre (which consists of a small block of houses) now houses 186 children with an average of ten to fifteen new children each week. While most of the children have been abandoned by their families, other families send children to the centre to be "cleansed" of their witchcraft. Despite private funding to expand the facilities to allow space for schooling, recreation, and counseling children and by initiatives by UNICEF and Stepping Stones Nigeria to eradicate the practice of child witchcraft accusations, progress remains slow.

The Nigerian government has recently launched a commission into allegations of child witchcraft in Nigeria's Akwa Iborn state where cases of accused witches are most common. The commission is mandated to investigate witchcraft accusations and establish dialogues with the local communities. Although the Child Rights Law passed in 2008 has criminalized child witchcraft accusations and imposed stiff penalties on offenders, there have been few convictions to date.

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PACT (Prevent Abuse of Children Today) is a global campaign established by the UK-based child rights charity, Stepping Stones Nigeria and their Nigerian partner organisations. The aim of PACT is to bring long-term positive social change to vulnerable children in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, particularly those at risk of witchcraft accusations, abuse and trafficking.

With high levels of malnutrition, poverty, persistent violent conflicts and disease, increasing numbers of children in the Niger Delta are being forced to the streets putting them at risk of abuse, rape and trafficking.

Witchcraft is often seen as the source of problems within Nigerian society with vulnerable children being the group most at risk of witchcraft accusations. Children stigmatised as witches face abandonment by their families and communities, torture, public humiliation, disgrace and even murder.

To help end this terrible abuse we urge you to stand with us to Prevent Abuse of Children Today. There are lots of ways for you to get involved with the campaign, in particular signing our PACT, holding events and writing letters. Visit our website www.makeapact.org to sign the PACT and help us spread the word.

Together, we are fighting for a time when all children in the Niger Delta are free from physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse and their rights are fully upheld. With your help, we can make this vision a reality.

For more information about the PACT campaign please visit www.makeapact.org

To find out more about Stepping Stones Nigeria, please visit www.steppingstonesnigeria.org

Please stand up for the rights of children by taking part in our Blog Day, Wednesday December 14th, in support of the Prevent Abuse of Children Today (PACT) campaign.

We know that you have already blogged in support of child rights and Stepping Stones Nigeria. We’re so grateful for this and hope that you will support us again by joining in with our Blog Day.

Prevent Abuse of Children Today (PACT) is a global campaign set up by the UK-based child rights charity Stepping Stones Nigeria and our Nigerian partner organisations. PACT aims to bring long-term positive social change to vulnerable children in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, particularly those at risk of witchcraft accusations, abuse and trafficking.

To help spread the word about the PACT campaign we wanted to invite some of our favourite bloggers to blog about your happiest childhood memory or best experience with children. We’d love for you to blog about this specifically in response to the following statement:

‘Every child has the right to happiness’

We want to celebrate children by focusing on our positive experiences of being a child or being around children. After all, every child deserves to have those happy experiences and that is what we’re fighting for through PACT.
If you are interested we would love you to take part in our Blog Day. To do so please do the following:

1. Write your blog post on December 14th

2. At the end of your post please add this statement:
“This post is part of a series inspired by the Prevent Abuse of Children Today (PACT) campaign, hosted by Stepping Stones Nigeria. Please add your name to the PACT petition to prevent abuse of innocent children in the Niger Delta and visit the site to find out more: www.makeapact.org

3. If you want to take part please leave a comment on this blog post or drop us an email.

4. Please ask others to get involved!

The Blog Day badge is available to add to your post today. Please email me to receive this.

Let us know when you post and we’ll feature it on the PACT site and facebook.